For a child, the formative years comprising of preschool and school are crucial for his/her development. It is the first time the child is placed outside the comfortable and familiar surroundings of their home and in the company of others belonging to the same age group. The potential interactions being afforded by such a setting provide an invaluable insight in monitoring the physical, mental and emotional condition of the child. One of the best ways to observe such is through sports and physical activities.

Here are five reasons why sports are crucial for preschool and school kids-

1. Physical development-

Most of the daily rigours of life which naturally kept the kids of the previous century fit and in shape have been eliminated because of advances in science and technology. The current generation is more susceptible to being overweight than any before it. It is projected that every one in three Indians will be obese by the next thirty years. The importance of physical development for our kids cannot be overstated. Of the years spent pursuing learning in schools, it is crucial that physical fitness is given equal importance as any other academic subject. The purpose of schooling is to prepare the kids for living a rich and fulfilling life, a goal which cannot be attained if one is in poor health. Due to the sedentry nature of life we live, having a love for physical activities ingrained in our kids is imperative. And the younger age at which it is ingrained, the better.

2. Diagnosis-

Leaving aside the importance of growing up with a love for physical activities which help to keep you fit, intensive sports programs are tailored to put the kids through the paces and observe discrepancies in the sample. Some children may be born pigeon-toed, some may tend to favour the limbs on one side of their body to another, resulting in overcompensation and problems later in life whereas some may have other undiagnosed disorders such as asthma which become clear through rigorous physical activity. Unless kids are in an environment of their peers where they are all being put through a standardized regimen, it is difficult to observe these issues. The comprehensive nature of sports enables the teacher to spot them and take corrective measures to improve upon them.

3. Mental-

Physical development results in expansion of mental capabilities. For instance, if you are right handed, writing with your left hand activates dormant parts of your brain. That is a simple case of a physical activity helping to develop the brain. Sports allows the kids to undertake methodical drills designed to stimulate their physical beings in order to better their mental self. Playing sports allows kids to improve upon their motor skills which helps make their brains more flexible.

Being a hustler is something players take pride in. Not every player will willingly dive on to the floor after a loose ball, or crash the glass with abandon. Hustle and heart are not something you can measure through traditional stats, but NBA 2K13 looks to quantify all possible stats of players. The list mostly comprises of big men, but there are some guards here as well, including the 5″5 Earl Boykins.

Here are the Top 25 Hustlers in NBA 2K13-

You can check out more info about NBA 2K13 here.

There are sections of basketball fans who seem to be dreading the possibility of a Spurs-Pacers finals. The vast majority wants the Miami Heat in the finals, but if the Pacers  do make it against the odds, it would pit two defensive minded teams, not big on flashy play, against each other. Would that really be such a bad thing?

The dichotomy of the Spurs

We were taught that winning changes everything. All a team needs to do to get a widespread fan base, have its jerseys worn on all street corners, and be in one word- popular is win. And the rest will take care of itself. We saw that with LeBron James and the Miami Heat. After stooping below sea level in likability, they provided a perfect villainous counterfoil to the Dallas Mavericks to emerge as not just champions, but as the vanquishers of evil itself. Then last season, the Heat won the title, and with it, the story arc changed from one of super-villain level betrayal to one of redemption and salvation for LeBron and co. Suddenly the focus shifted to the agony they must have suffered in being hated for excellence. Winning changed things for them. As it should for all teams.

The logic seems faultless, but the San Antonio Spurs seem to be the exception to this rule. Of all the teams in the NBA, no other team has been as consistently brilliant as the Spurs have been over the last two decades. And yet guys like Duncan, Parker or Ginobili don’t enjoy the level of popularity, which is reserved for household names across the league. This big three has been scorching its way to over fifty wins time and time again, so much so that we take their near faultless execution for granted.

They don’t throw down rim rattling dunks, but Ginobili and Parker have more than enough flash and flair to entertain. Yet, the team as a whole is not perceived as entertaining. A lot of it has to do with them playing in San Antonio; if they were in New York city or Los Angeles, perhaps they would be more popular. San Antonio is not a very small market but there are bigger cities for an NBA team.

The Spurs have won four championships in the Tim Duncan era. Talk about consistency. One reason the Spurs have been so consistent is that they have always kept a steady stream of role players coming in and transcending their potential. Gregg Popovich gives young players a chance. He puts them in a grinder, and those who come through the other side get to carve out their niche in the most consistent system in the league. Tony Parker is a prime example. As a rookie, his play was exasperating to Popovich, but Parker still played good minutes season after season and evolved into an MVP candidate. Even though he was way less than perfect, Popovich stuck by him and moulded him into the superstar that he is today.

One downside of this, if you can call it that, is that the Spurs have never been heavy on pursuing the big name free agents. Their superstars are not quite household names, and their role players are even further away from being so. The team has never bothered about not being in the spotlight, they toil in relative obscurity and that’s fine with them.

Looking across towards Indiana, we find another team which is fanned for its defense and has start players in Paul George and Roy Hibbert, who are not household names, regardless of how good they are. Granted that those two are relatively new faces compared to the big three of the Spurs, but they are playing at superstar levels right now.

Without Hibbert getting 20 and 10 time and time again, the Pacers would probably have been swept by now. The Heat don’t seem to have an answer to counter his offensive rebounding and inside scoring. Haslem got the better of Hibbert on offense in the Heat’s latest win by stretching the floor, but for the most part, Hibbert has been indisputably the best big man on the floor. Provided he continues that trend, the Pacers may just pull off an upset over the defending champions. There is no question that Paul George is on his way to being a superstar in this league and, yet, his star power isn’t big enough to make the Pacers seem like a really exciting team.

Fans of the sport will love to watch the Spurs and Pacers lock horns, just as they would love to see the Heat battle the Spurs. All three are quality teams and any match-up they pose will be entertaining. But the Heat have star power, which dwarfs that of other teams, and make the Spurs and Pacers seem bland by comparison.

For me, a Spurs-Pacers finals would be an exciting contest. Hibbert using his size versus Duncan. George Hill lighting up his former team. Paul George perhaps winning the Finals MVP. Popovich getting his hands on his fifth ring. There are numerous exciting storylines to go along with this matchup. We just need to ignore the Heat for a moment to realise that a Spurs-Pacers finals won’t really be a bad thing.

Although the NBA doesn’t have Kareem’s skyhook in the league, there are a lot of players who are quite proficient with the hook shot. According to NBA 2K13, here’s a look at the owners of the best hook shots in the league-

“Sirf dekhne ka nahi”. True, I’m not going to sit and take this any more. The next IPL season may play host to a jingle which is even more mindlessly irritating than this one, unless something is done about it. While I doubt that an impassioned prose will go a long way in stopping the IPL from coming up with another kaanfaadu (ear-splitting) jingle, every little voice helps.

Writing is all about emotion and belief. Belief that what you are trying to express has already taken shape on paper, and strong emotion which drives you towards it. I was fully confident that a vitriol of a piece ought to materialise on this jingle, and I had a fair amount of emotion bubbling against it already. Although I had a lot of angst stored within me, it hadn’t reached boiling point. As evidence of my dedication to my craft, I downloaded the heathen jingle and put it on loop for 10 minutes. They say that pain motivates art. If so, the following piece ought to belong in an art museum.

I’m open-minded enough to recognise that people may have different tastes and there are many people who probably like this jingle. But it seems that there is a near-unanimous opinion that this jingle is the worst thing to hit us in a long while. Let’s take an objective look at this jingle. I move for jingle recall. I don’t think there has been a precedent for this before. But if any jingle justified such action, it’s this one. I was okay with leaving it alone to mess with the sanity of cricket fans. If you choose to follow a sport, which makes stationary cows out of the fielders, chewing cud while awaiting the ball to come your way, well that is your business. I was content to leave this jingle alone, until it started messing with the NBA coverage. Even then I could deal with it as I was following some games online and some on TV. But as the conference finals have just rolled around, every single match is being shown live on Sony SIX. That meant having to deal with Farah Khan jumping upon you.

The only time I switch on the TV, besides when someone I know is on it, is when I’m watching basketball. That’s shown on Sony SIX, something David Stern is happy about. He’s happy that the NBA is on the same network as the IPL. Normally it doesn’t bother me, but this means that the IPL has ads which it airs during the commercials. One minute I’ll be pumping my fists at the rim slamming action, the next I’ll be shielding my ears from the assault of jumping dils. These ads just sneak up on you when you are trying to catch some basketball. Like a thief in the night, an overcoat-wearing, cigarette-smoking shyster leaning against a lamppost at night, ready to pounce on you, this jingle catches you unawares as the first ad on TV in between programs.

Fans of the NBA are being treated to the playoffs on Sony SIX. More often than not as a match would transition into a commercial, Farah Khan would jump out with glee and reproach random people, imploring them “Sirf dekhne ka nahi.” This would be followed by them dancing along to the jingle. It’s bad enough that something like this has made it on air, but they are even promoting it via what I assume is a paid endorsement or a fake one.

“A bunch of our relatives had gathered at our place for a lazy Sunday lunch followed by back-to-back IPL matches on the television. Expectedly, everyone was feeling rather sleepy after a heavy lunch. But the minute the IPL match began and the batsman hit a six, my little cousin began his Jumping Jhapak jig. We were in splits watching him dance so excitedly and his enthusiasm was so contagious that soon some of us joined him. Needless to say, it was one big party after that,” says Rashmi Dayal, a student.

It seems like a bit of a stretch to think of a bunch of relatives jumping around post lunch. There are few things which make you get off the couch to jump around in the mid-day heat, and this jingle is decidedly not one of them. Unless you are bolting to change the channel or mute the television or run screaming from the room. Seriously, what does this jingle have going for it? The steps? The lyrics? Neither, I’d say. Many a besoora (tuneless) tune has been saved by ingenious dance steps. The dance steps of this song make you want to claw your eyes out. Here’s a recap of the moves – 1. Sway your hips one way while dusting them with one hand. 2. Repeat the same one the other side. 3. Do the gilli gilli. Nothing much to be said; if you’ve seen the steps in action you probably abhor it too. The lyrics go ‘Dil Jumping Jhapak Jumpak Jumpak… Thumping Thapak Thumpak ..Thumpak Gili Gili Yo’. Picture a monkey with cymbals perched on your shoulders.  

All day long, he bangs them in your ears. That is the effect these lyrics have on me. The words Jumpak and Jhapak and Thumpak and Gilli don’t really mean anything. Besides Dil, Thumping and Jumping, the rest of the words in this song are meaningless. And even those words only have meaning in an isolated context. You want a catchy tune, you don’t have to go the Gangnam style route and come up with something which is so irritating and incomprehensible that it catches on. Take a look at the classic Roundball Rock -

1. Proof in the pudding

I think the format can thrive in India because our teams have been shining abroad in this format. The Indian teams have enjoyed a good measure of success in this format. Our women’s team has won numerous gold medals in this format, including the first 3×3 FIBA Asia Championship. The junior boys and girls teams both won the silver medal at the FIBA Asia 3×3 Championship in Thailand. My theory for why we are more successful in this format is that despite having a rich crop of individual talent, a full court game requires more physicality to go along with skills. And to maintain consistency in that format, its essential to have ample facilities. Our country can’t yet fulfill all the basic requirements of a team. But in 3×3, the supplementary requirements are a tad less, allowing the talent to float on top.

2. It can be played with fewer people

One of the more depressing sights for a basketball fan in Kolkata is to head over to the WBBA courts on Red Road on a weekend. You need to cross the maidan and circumvent about a thousand people playing football and cricket. You are inundated with the sports spirit by the time you reach the courts, and its not an unusual sight to find the courts empty. Basketball has a higher learning curve than cricket or football in some aspects. So there aren’t players available readily everywhere. But you can always round up five other buddies to ball with, if not nine. Being an Indian, its not the easiest of things to run into a fellow basketball player. A format which allows one to play with few players is bound to be a hit.

3. Space constraints

A basketball court causes an optical illusion of sorts on the eyes of football and cricket fans. They hallucinate the court as a playing field for their strange games and since they are greater in number, they occupy many basketball courts for their strange pastimes. A full court game is not possible when you have people playing football on it; I’ve tried often. A half court match is still playable though. The courts may be crowded, but 3×3 is still playable on them. You can have one football match and a 3×3 match going on one basketball court at one time, albeit with a risk of having the football hit the basketball players or vice versa.

4. Faster paced action

3×3 basketball is played a lot faster than full court basketball. It is an amazing format for learning the fundamentals. Idle time of dribbling the ball upcourt without facing a full court press is eliminated. You just get the ball outside the three point line and you let rip.

5. Take away transition baskets

Here’s a look at India’s U-18 captain Loveneet Atwal pressuring his opponent into a turnover, our team won the silver-

This format eliminates the easy transition baskets and you have to rely on skill more than size or speed to get buckets. Of course, a steal or block can still lead to a quick bucket, but for the most part, you have to go through the other team for your baskets. While transition plays are one of the most exciting parts of basketball, the format of 3×3 essentially is like a 3 on 3 fast break. And transition baskets can often give one team an insurmountable lead, leading to more garbage time. Speaking of time…

6. Time

“If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a man, my son!”

A basketball match is 40 minutes long, ignoring the timeouts and delays. Comparing it to football or cricket, that is still a very small time. But in 3×3, there is a lot of action packed in just 10 minutes. In this day and age when time taken to travel or do chores has been reduced thanks to technology, we are looking to get more out of the unforgiving minute then ever before. T-20 form of cricket has followed that philosophy, and 3×3 basketball fills more action in one minute than perhaps any other sport.

7. Venue

You don’t need a full court, not even a half court; just a rim and about 20 feet of space on either side. Not even 20 feet full. With slight modifications in the rules, half court 3×3 basketball just requires a hoop, a ball and some players.

The NBA trotted out the NBA 3X in India last year, and it was quite a hit. With the rate basketball is spreading across the country, the front for expansion will likely be led by 3 on 3 half court basketball.

Consistency is a attribute which has an impact on pretty much all the individual skills.

An inconsistent shooter with a great free throw rating may not do justice to his ability without a high consistency rating.

Here’s a look at the top 25 most consistent players in NBA 2K13.

For more such stats on NBA 2K13, click here.

Fans of any sport, if asked which player is the greatest of all time, will probably reply with some names from the past. It’s a tall order for a current generation player to transcend the shackles of constant scrutiny placed upon him by the information age and rise above being a superstar to being indisputably the greatest of all time. One would think that being in possession of more facts and figures and access to all sorts of statistical analysis tools allows for the creation of legends. But there is a downside to this overwhelming flow of information – it is too much information.

Sherlock Holmes once said,“I think I err when I explain myself.” He felt that his incisive deductions were not as impressive once they were explained and laid bare. A mystery once explained ceases to remain as such.

One of the prime appeals of the Wild West legends has been that those heroes were secretive creatures shrouded in mystery. The darkness is only intriguing because it is in the dark. A legend grows through fleeting remnants of superlatives passed on in hushed tones, magnified with each retelling of the story. There is an inscrutable aura around legends which makes them nigh untouchable.

Imagine having a Truman show-like, 24/7 insight into the life of your preferred legend. Some mystique is bound to fall off when you see that they brush their teeth and prepare their breakfast just like you do. The cloak of secrecy drops when you realize that even the best of us have access to just 24 hours every single day, and the only thing that sets them apart is how they use those hours.

There is a story of Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault grabbing a dime off the top of a backboard. Earl was in the neighbourhood of 5″11 and 6″1 and the backboard stands tall at over 12 feet. He would need a vertical leap of 60 inches to accomplish the feat. And yet, against all logic, the mythical tale persists, passed on as an old wives’ tale. Dwight Howard was approached numerous times to replicate the feat he boasted of, but he’s evaded the requests citing various reasons – not cleared by his team, busy with appointments, being less than 100%. And of course, all this was before his back injury.

Playing in the age of mobile cameras, there is barely any room for doubt that Howard can’t touch the top of the backboard. In this day and age when even the smallest of exploits find their way to YouTube, it seems incomprehensible that Howard made a jump that high without a single camera being present. And the presence of such transparency is a bright spotlight washing away the shadows in which urban tales thrive.

In these times, urban legends don’t find it easy to thrive, but that doesn’t mean that a legendary player cannot thrive any more. If a player comes along who is good enough, he or she should still be able to transcend the transparency of this age and preserve enough mystique to go with the requisite talent to become a legend. Kobe Bryant has assumed legendary status, and yet he shall never surpass Michael Jordan in our collective minds. But think about this for a moment; if Kobe dropped the 81 point game two decades ago and if he made two free throws with a torn Achilles’ back when his every move wasn’t documented and dissected through the digital and social media, there is a chance that his achievements would be magnified more. Not to suggest that they would outshine Jordan’s achievements, but they would stand even higher in the annals of history then they are now. Remember the hoopla when Kobe announced his presence on Twitter? That was a case of a hitherto inaccessible legend opening up to the fans directly. It made him seem accessible. That kind of interpersonal interaction was never thought of back in the pre-Twitter days.

There is no way to pin down what kind of impact that kind of communication can have on one’s legacy. But one can safely say that it demystifies the legends of our time, and perhaps even limits the extent to which their legacies will leave an imprint. But maybe it can work the other way around as well; in an era where every move is documented through 140 characters or less, there is little that slips by. It’s only at the end of the career of a superstar, after being inducted into the hall of fame, that we can comment on their legacies and compare how different it was for the stars of yesteryear.

For the last decade, there has been a perpetual bemoaning for the good old days of yesteryear when big men were big men. There are a few reasons why I find that line of thinking spurious, one being that we always view the players of the past with nostalgia and lionize them more and more as time passes. Secondly, the overall standard of play of the league has gone up with time and it’s a stretch to say that players have regressed. Thirdly, the perceived toughness factor cannot be showed off as much these days. Remember Reggie Miller miming a force choke to Spike Lee? Think we can see that today? Perhaps one response to a particularly vexing heckler may be overlooked. While one can argue that there are glaring differences between a choke gesture and a throat slicing gesture, Kevin Durant would sneer at the distinction though.

We may deny it, but on some level we equate toughness with willingness to cross the line and send messages with fists and bumps and bruises. In today’s league, that can result in swift repercussions as Durant learnt to his cost. Some preconceptions make us think that the days of great big men have passed us by and Dwight Howard is often referred to as the Last Dominant Center. But as the Western Conference Finals are showing us, there are two other big men in the league who are a throwback to the old days. These two players are among the best at their position and this year both of them had outstanding seasons. And now they will face each other in a duel for the ages.

When you think of Tim Duncan, you think of a robot. There are few big men in the league who are as technically sound as Duncan is, on both ends of the floor. Some may worry that he is getting on in age, but that hasn’t resulted in decreased production. He had his best season in three years this season. That speaks volumes about how cerebral his game is and how well he blends into the Spurs system. For the Grizzles, Marc Gasol anchors the best defense in the league and is probably the most potent offensive center in the game. The high low combo he has going with Zach Randolph can overpower any frontline in the game and force them into submission. Randolph was averaging over 19 points per game in the playoffs and that is thanks in no small part to the tandem he has established with Gasol. Not to take anything away from Randolph, but the ability of Gasol to splash in twenty footers helps create a world of space down low for Randolph to operate in.

I jeered and booed Gasol when he was helping the Grizzles demolish the Clippers. I viewed him with a hate coloured perspective. Watching him storm the Thunder with an unbiased look let me appreciate his diverse skill set. It wasn’t very long ago that the younger Gasol brother was in the shadow of his sibling, Pau. Then Marc established himself as being the more dominant defensive force, to the point of winning the defensive player of the year award this season. Now, as Pau is underutilized with the Lakers, Marc has at least established himself at part with Pau, even if he has not eclipsed him just yet. He rarely took over 15 shots per game in the regular season but come playoff time you can really see his versatility on display. There were even theories that Rudy Gay was traded to make more room and more shots for Gasol. In the playoffs, he is averaging 18 points per game with 7.8 rebounds. In the regular season, he was averaging 14.1 points with 7.8 rebounds. His assists per game has dropped in the playoffs to 2.8 from 4.0 in the regular season but nobody keeps track of hockey assists, where a pass leads to another pass which becomes an assist. If they did, then Gasol’s numbers would be even higher. Playmaking is not the exclusive domain of guards. Big men like Duncan and Gasol can really pick defenses apart with their laser sharp passes. Cerebral heads perched seven feet high have a unique perspective on the floor and these two are among the best playmaking big men in the league. Duncan averaged 3.1 assists per game with 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in the regular season. Come playoff time, he is averaging 17.5 points with 9.3 rebounds, but his assists and blocks have gone down to 1.9 and 1.3.

The Spurs-Grizzlies series has the makings of a classic. Two defensive minded teams without a go to superstar, instead they have a bunch of players who can take over at anytime. What they do have are two big men who are looking to power their teams to the Finals. The Spurs blitzed the Grizzlies 105-83 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, now the Grizzlies will look to bounce back tomorrow. The match will be shown live on Sony Six on 22 May at 6:30 AM.

Breaking news! Derrick Rose just returned the DVD he had borrowed. Derrick Rose just returned his overdue books at the library. The word ‘return’ has been used with different combinations with Rose’s name. Its almost like someone has run a automatic simulator with the algorithm to come up with different variations of Derrick Rose + Return. I’m no worse apparently, but you be the judge of that after reading this.

Basketball critics have one job, to critique. Their entire livelihoods revolve around criticising professionals who make obscene amounts of money. There are various ways to respond to critics. Critique them back. Sneer at them. Shake your head derisively. Punch them. Pull their hair. Defend your game ad nauseum. Like I said, there are various ways. But the best players like to respond to critics in a common manner- let their game do the talking. Amnesty that. In two words, Kobe Bryant summed up his comeback to Marc Cuban after annihilating his team. Stars thrive on battling their odds and proving naysayers wrong. The brightest star in the city of Chicago is in the unenviable position of not being able to respond the only way he knows how, by letting his game do the talking.

We know Derrick Rose as a flaming ball of energy which crashes into the paint time and time again and basically wills the ball into the hole. Off the court that same ball of fire is subdued, a quiet and reflective presence which is engaging in its own reflective way. “Why can’t I be the MVP?” Rose mused the season prior to the one when he won the award. How many players would openly put that question in the media? Winning the MVP is not something you can wake up and get by putting in a day’s work. You have to consistently lead your team to victory time and time again and even then the award is no guarantee. For a player to put that out there speaks volumes about the kind of limitations he wants to put upon himself- none.

The same attitude is what is working against Rose right now. The uproar against Rose would not be so potent if he would rule out his return with no room for doubt. Yet he kept saying “We’ll see.” and “You never know. Maybe next game” or different variations of “Never rule it out.” Even though he has been cleared to play by the team doctors, every injury is different and he is well within his rights to take the call.

As a school kid, I had an ugly road rash scar on my knee from falling on the concrete basketball court. Technically, it was just a case of skin being scraped off my knee calling for a week of injections. But the depth and width of the cut meant that I could not flex my knee without tearing the scabs. For all practical purposes, my leg was as good as broken. Couldn’t run or flex it enough to ride a bike. It made me limp.

The doctor may have classified my injury as a road rash, an abrasion of the skin. Yet practically, it was not dissimilar to a broken knee in the limitations it placed upon me. And that was a simple scraping of the knee. Derrick Rose tore his ACL. That’s something more complicated. Regardless of Ricky Rubio coming back in nine months or Shumpert coming back in eight and a half months, Derrick Rose’s case is not homogeneous with other ACL tears. He and he alone can make the call of how soon he can return. He may have recovered enough to jog, but the strains he puts on his body are quite different to what a normally recovered ACL would withstand. Rose needs to be able to be Rose on the court. If he can’t contribute the way he knows how, he is hurting his team more then helping them and putting his career and the immediate future of his team at risk.

The Chicago Bulls have epitomised heart this season. Ending the 27 game win streak of the Heat, defeating the Nets, and even snatching a game from the Heat behind Nate Robinson’s heroic play. Every accomplishment of this team which is riddled with injuries is drawing a contrast with how much Derrick Rose is needed. With Hinrich and Deng being injured, this group has a very small shot at pulling off an upset. Even now with the Bulls down 3-1, there are some fans with fevered visions of The Return of Rose as their heroic savior in game 5. Even if Rose suits up, he hasn’t played competitive basketball in forever and its hard to imagine him having an impact with the Heat having the luxury of putting LeBron James on him.

Regardless of Rose not ruling his return out, we have to accept that it is not going to happen this season. And we need to stop questioning Derrick Rose’s resolve unless we are in full possession of the facts. Unless we can walk in his shoes, we can’t possibly know what physical limitations his knee has. Being the warrior he is, he could never admit that there is absolutely no chance that he won’t return. The same attitude which drew praise when he wondered “Why can’t I be the MVP?” is now inviting slings and arrows at his character.

Rose’s return will happen when it does, questioning his capability and heart is nothing other than speculation. After all he has done, he deserves the benefit of doubt. The Bulls will probably go down fighting to the Heat, but this season they have discovered something without Rose. They are this good. They are good enough to beat the Nets in the playoffs and to show that the Heat are not unbeatable. Return delayed is not return denied and next season when Rose finally puts on his shoes, provided he is healthy, he will be fueled by the relentless criticism heaped upon him when he couldn’t respond with his play. Blake Griffin suffered much the same after missing his first season and it gave him an unending reservoir of fuel to draw upon, and the time off to work on other facets of his game.

The return will happen when it will, we need to leave it alone and not throw around accusations. But there is a silver lining here. Plucking away at the petals of the rose only leaves the thorns, and the critics are only ensuring that the return stings the other 29 teams more when it happens. Pluck away.

Rebounds often make the difference between a win and a loss. Extra rebounds translate to extra possessions for your team, and players who can clean up the glass are always in high demand. The top 15 rebounds leaders for the 2012-13 season can be seen here. You can now check out the ratings NBA 2K13 gave to the players and see how reality compares with virtual reality-

Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with teammate Klay Thompson #11 after making a three-pointer against the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. (Getty Images)

I could watch Stephen Curry shoot all day long. His shooting stroke is remarkably fluid and quick. In transition he can pull up and launch it at a moment’s notice and there are few point guard in the league who make for such an intimidating sight when they are running the break.

Normally on a fast break you try to defend the easy bucket near the rim. When you see Curry sprinting ahead with a head full of steam, chances are he may just pull up for a three. Curry is making a strong case for being considered as the best shooter to ever play the game. That is a lofty goal to aim at by itself, to be in the conversation with seriousness is something few people have achieved. But he is making it seem legitimate. In 2012-13 season Curry set an NBA regular-season record with 272 three-pointers. All while shooting 45.3 % from beyond the arc.

Like father like son. Dell has taught his son well. From a very young age little Stephen had been tagging along on the court with his father. Call it genetics or attribute it to practice or some other mystical reason, the fact remains that Stephen Curry has stumbled upon the magic touch. But it wasn’t smooth sailing all the way.

“The most frustrating summer for me.” said Stephen Curry of the summer when his father taught him to change his shooting form by bringing the ball above his head. Curry was in high school then. ”I really couldn’t shoot outside the paint for like the first three weeks. All summer when I was at camps people were like, ‘Who are you, why are you playing basketball?’ I was really that bad for a month and a half [before] I finally figured it out.”

Superstars in the NBA can often point to specific games they had in which they staked their claim to superstardom. Blake Griffin had that game vs. the New York Knicks when he put Timofey Mozgov on a poster. Dwyane Wade showed his worth in the 2006 Finals. And people will point to game 4 of the 2013 playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets as the game in which Stephen Curry officially crossed the plateau from star to superstar.

Now he’s in conversation in the same breath as the Kobe Bryants and Kevin Durants of this league. In that one game, in that one stretch in the third quarter, Curry officially stamped his name in the annals of NBA history.

Curry blew up for 22 points in the third quarter and buried the Nuggets with his hot shooting. He had 22 points in 6 minutes. He had 9 points in 42 seconds. In that memorable third quarter, Curry drilled five three pointers. He finished the game with 31 points. Now in the 2013 playoffs, during the first four games, Curry has hit 18 of his 38 threes and is shooting 50 percent overall.

“It was phenomenal to watch. I’ve never seen a performance like that from beyond the 3-point line. He’s amazing. He’s got the most beautiful stroke. The game that goes with it, that’s what leaves me in awe. He’s not just a guy standing in the corner,” Steve Kerr said, who himself was a career 45.4% three point shooter. High praise for Curry from someone who has been there and done that at the highest level.

Speaking of highest level, this is what Curry just did against the Nuggets:

Coach reaction

“It was almost like a boxer that knew he was on the ropes, because it was just a matter of time. I told him I didn’t need him to be a hero — talk about smart coaching. And I guess he realized and sensed it. And he captured the moment.”- Mark Jackson, coach of the Warriors.

“I just remember that we were chasing a double-team, and they found him at the top of the key, boom. And then he decided he could make one from 30 feet, and then boom.”- Nuggets coach George Karl.

Weak spot

“I can’t overstate how important it is to be healthy and not have to worry every day how the ankle feels and have to have minute restrictions. I was feeling a little warmer, bodywise, in the third quarter, just get a rhythm. The goal kind of looked a little bigger,” Curry said at the end.

The one concern with Curry is injuries. He is having problems with both his ankles and it seems that the only one who can stop Curry now is Curry himself. The Golden State Warriors have some of the best shooters in the league and no team wants any part of them in the postseason.

They could conceivably make it to the conference finals, and perhaps beyond. Provided that their star keeps knocking down those bombs. After all, is there really a way to stop someone who will launch it from 30 feet? Throw a double team his way and he will just find one of his potent teammates for the easy basket.

There is only one thing you can do with Curry, hope he misses.

Dwight Howard #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Getty Images)

Players who clean up the glass are invaluable. Even though many players tend to pad their rebounding stats, it’s ultimately a positive thing and extremely important.

David Lee is one player who is sometimes accused of chasing down rebounds for its own sake, but his coach Marc Jackson has said that there is nothing wrong if his player’s motivation is to get 15 rebounds per game.

Here’s a look at the top 15 players who led the league in rebounds this season:

1. Dwight Howard: 12.4 RPG | LA Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers knew what they were getting with Howard. Even though he is not at full strength he still manages to lead the league in rebounds per game. Howard had 9.1 defensive rebounds and 3.3 offensive rebounds. This goes to show that rebounding is just as much about technique as it is about athletic prowess.

2. Nikola Vucevic: 11.9 RPG | Orlando Magic  
One of the most underpaid players in the league, and a candidate for most improved player this season. Vucevic had 8.4 defensive boards and 3.5 rebounds.

3. Omer Asik: 11.7 RPG | Houston Rockets
Playing for the Rockets, Asik amassed 8.3 defensive rebounds and 3.4 offensive rebounds.

4. Zach Randolph: 11.2 RPG | Memphis Grizzlies
Z-Bo had 7.2 defensive rebounds and 4.1 offensive rebounds. And he’s short and not a high leaper.

5. David Lee: 11.2 RPG | Golden State Warriors
As mentioned, Mark Jackson, coach of the Warriors, has said that he has no problem with Lee’s motivation of getting 15 rebounds per game. So neither should anyone else. While many coaches scoff at stat chasing, Coach Jackson sees it as a positive thing. David Lee averaged 8.5 defensive rebounds and 2.8 offensive rebounds. It’s been said that Lee may be one of those players who can average 20-10 and still be on a team with a losing record, but that says more about the team than about him.

6. Reggie Evans: 11.1 RPG |Brooklyn Nets
Playing for the Nets, Reggie Evans is making a case for getting a higher salary. He averaged 7.9 defensive rebounds and 3.3 offensive rebounds.

7. JJ Hickson: 10.4 RPG | Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazer averaged 7 defensive rebounds and 3.3 offensive rebounds. While playing on the same team as LaMarcus Aldridge, he still out-rebounded the team’s star.

8. Al Horford: 10.2 RPG | Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford averaged 7.6 defensive rebounds and 2.6 offensive rebounds for the Hawks.

9. DeMarcus Cousins: 9.9 RPG | Sacramento Kings
There is a good chance that Cousins will end up on a different team very soon. He is one of the more promising big men in the league but his temperament has always been an issue. Usually players who are aggressive and impulsive end up being great rebounders. Cousins averaged 7 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds.

10. Carlos Boozer: 9.8 RPG | Chicago Bulls
Boozer only stands at 6″9 and yet he managed to out-rebound players way taller than him. He averaged 7.5 defensive rebounds and 2.2 offensive rebounds.

11. Greg Monroe: 9.6 RPG | Detroit Pistons
Playing for the Pistons, Monroe averaged 6.7 defensive rebounds and 2.9 offensive rebounds.

12. Larry Sanders: 9.5 RPG | Milwaukee Bucks
The buck averaged 6.3 defensive rebounds and 3.2 offensive rebounds.

13. Tristan Thompson: 9.4 RPG | Cleveland Cavs
Thompson played for the Cavaliers and averaged 5.7 defensive rebounds and a whooping 3.7 offensive rebounds.

14. Kenneth Faried: 9.2 RPG | Denver Nuggets
‘The Manimal’ averaged 5.9 defensive rebounds and 3.3 offensive rebounds for the Nuggets

15. Al Jefferson: 9.2 RPG | Utah Jazz
Jefferson averaged 7.2 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds per game for the Jazz.

There are few shots more addictive in basketball than the mid-range jumper. A closer look than the three ball and a safer distance than a lay-up. The mid-range shot is also seen as the least efficient shot in basketball. There are many coaches who swear by an offense of strictly laps and three balls. But the fact remains that the mid-range game is very enabling when it comes to creating space for the offense. Just ask Jamal Crawford.

There are essentially three major categories of mid-range scorers. Those who get their shots off the dribble like Crawford, those who specialize in catch and shoot scoring like Richard Hamilton and those who prefer to use low post moves to get their shot off like Dirk Nowitzki. In the game there are various other ratings which compliment the core shooting skills. We have low post scoring, shot off dribble, etc. But the core skill of the mid-range jumper is the most important one.

Here’s a look at the top 20 mid range shooters in the league according to NBA 2K13:

For more info about NBA 2K13, check this out.

“On behalf of my teammates and our coaching staff, I am grateful to be named the Defensive Player of the Year. We had a great season, especially on the defensive end, and that is due to the hard work of everyone involved.”

- Marc Gasol

The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the best defenses in the league. They led the league in points allowed, which however is not the most conclusive measure of defense, since points allowed also depends on your own offensive pace. The entire system of the Grizzlies starts with Marc Gasol. The younger brother of Pau Gasol was the major reason why the Grizzlies got to 56 wins.

One could make the argument that the award is more arbitrary than anything. Although generally that is a label attached to the Most Improved Player award. In case of the Defensive Player of the Year, at least in case of Marc Gasol we can dissect his performance. He isn’t the fastest or quickest of the big men around. He doesn’t possess the greatest of verticals. But only six players in the league averaged over 1.5 blocks and 1 steal this season, and he was one of them. That put him at seventh among the centers in steals and 12th in blocks as Gasol averaged 1.7 blocks and 1 steals per game.

The Grizzlies finished second in the league in defensive efficiency and a major part of that was Gasol. The Memphis Grizzlies allowed 95.4 points per 100 possessions with Marc Gasol on the floor and 102.2 points-per-100 with him sitting out. That’s a difference of almost 7 points. The Grizzlies allowed a league lowest 88.7 points per game. That’s the difference Gasol helped make. They are the first team since 2005-06 to allow less than 90 points per game. This defense has been exceptional and the success of the team defense has contributed towards Gasol winning the award and vice versa. The Grizzlies were 3rd in field goal percentage allowed with 43.5%, 2nd in 3 point percentage allowed with 33.8%, 1st in total rebounds allowed with 39.1 and 6th in forced turnovers with 15.5.

The Grizzlies were also +7.5 when Gasol was on the floor, they were -3.9 with him on the bench. His impact translated on both ends of the court, and it started with his defense. Marc Gasol is the first Memphis Grizzlies player to have won the defensive player of the year award.

Here’s how the rankings for defensive player of the year shaped up:

Marc Gasol – 212 points
LeBron James – 149
Serge Ibaka – 122
Joakim Noah – 107
Tony Allen – 102
Tim Duncan – 94
Larry Sanders – 90
Paul George – 57
Andre Iguodala – 43
Roy Hibbert – 36
Chris Paul – 19
Avery Bradley – 15
Tyson Chandler – 11
Dwight Howard – 6
Luol Deng – 6
Dwyane Wade – 4
Trevor Ariza – 3
Jimmy Butler – 3
Kenneth Faried – 3
Russell Westbrook – 3
Mike Conley – 1

Notable mentions

LeBron James

LeBron James is a unique talent. A one of a kind player who we have never seen before and will probably never see again. On offense he is capable of doing anything, and on defense he has been guarding every single position at one time or another this season. LeBron James bemoaned, saying that the award should be about individual defense and not team defense.

“It definitely sucks, though, finishing second. Who wants to finish second? I guard everybody on the floor. I don’t know if it’s one player in NBA history that’s guarded 1 (point guards) through 5 (centers). It’s over with now, but it’s cool. I have to know all the likes and dislikes, pros and cons, of each and every player in this league because at some point, I’m going to be matched up with them. It’s a challenge for me mentally and physically,” he said.

Serge Ibaka

“Serge Ibaka with all the stuff he did this year, he should’ve been the guy to win it this year and last year. With the stuff he’s done on the defensive end. I thought he was the clear cut winner. But people saw it otherwise. He led the league in blocks. That’s what defense is all about. He led the team and was number one in blocks this year. You can’t play defense without having any shot blockers. He was the No. 1 shot blocker the last two years. That’s great defense right there.” - Howard said of Ibaka, who was the only player in the league this season to average more than 3 blocks per game with 3.0.

Speaking of him, the list does invite debate when Dwight Howard is not even in the top 10.

“It’s just funny. That’s okay. We got next year and I got a long time. This year’s funny. I didn’t know. I didn’t vote. I don’t know what to do about it. But it’s okay.”- said Dwight Howard.

And Roy Hibbert was ranked 10th? He averaged 8.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. It is worth noting that Gasol averaged way more minutes than some other big men in the list, Noah (370 more minutes) and Duncan (718 more minutes). And it is difficult to separate individual defense from team defense, the Grizzlies being exceptional on the defensive end did have a little to do with Gasol winning this one. But not everyone is happy with his win.

For a playmaker, there are few skills more crucial for success in the video game than ball handling. It determines the speed and frequency with which the player can dribble the ball. These players are excellent at keeping their dribble alive. The dribble moves in some NBA 2K games were motion captured by the Professor, a renowned streetballer, so you can expect some killer crossovers in the game. Players with high ball handling ratings are able to perform their dribble with a more efficient style and can pull off difficult crossovers with ease. Notice how there are less than five shooting guards among the top 20. Here’s a look at the top 20 ball handlers in NBA 2K13:

For more info about NBA 2K13, check this out.

How do you quantify strength? Is it measured by the weight you can bench press, or by the weight and number of repetitions? How far does quickness come in as a factor? It would be nice if there was a uniform system of rating by which we could ascertain the physical strength of the players?

One way is to go by the ratings of NBA 2K13. Players rated high are able to back down weaker players with ease and they can set more effective screens.

Here’s a look at the top 20 strongest players in NBA 2K13:

*Etan Thomas is listed as a free agent in the game.

For more info about NBA 2K13, click here.

There is an aged gentleman who takes care of the basketball courts I frequent. We all appreciate the work he does, brushing the four courts clean of the dry leaves, sweeping away the water on rainy days and chasing away the stray dogs. He keeps the courts in playable condition. The courts must be about 360×170 feet of area combined, and it takes quite some time for him to keep the courts clean.

Now picture a golf course of over 100 acres, and imagine the amount of work and expertise it would require to keep it in top-notch condition.

The 18-hole golf course would make one stagger in disbelief at the incredible magnitude of the task of the greens-keeper. The grass has to be cut precisely down to the last millimetre. 4 millimetres on the putting green, a different size on the fairway, a different one on the first and second cuts and different on the rough.

Think of a billiards table, an expensive piece of equipment because of its immaculate green carpet. Now extrapolate the size of that table over 100 acres and you get some idea of the herculean task the golf course superintendent has to undertake. They have to plant the grass and trees, rake the bunkers, and keep it all clean and well maintained. It is a full-time job. The greens are in use half the time. You need to figure your way around that schedule and at the same time ensure that the course is operating properly.

Gaurav Pundir is the Golf Superintendent at the Tolly Club. To put it in a nutshell, he takes care of the golf course and the entire ecological environment enclosed inside the Tolly club premises.

“I am a qualified forester,” said Gaurav Pundir. “My job is to take care of the trees, the shrubs, the wildlife and the landscaping. It is a full-time gig. Every day I go around every stretch of the greens four or five times. Often the duties overlap. Beautifying the landscape while some construction is going on, to mask the behind the scenes work. “

Getting started

Pundir has done an MBA in Human Resource Management, which enables him to be better equipped to manage the workforce.

“I’m very passionate about my job. I enjoy it and it does not seem like very hard work to me. I was born in Dehradun. The army had a golf course adjacent to my school, Cambrian Hall. It wasn’t always meticulously well maintained as the army’s budget was a little less. It made me look at the niche of maintaining a golf course.

“The Indian Golf Union was formed by six golf clubs. The Delhi Club, Bombay Club, the Wellington Golf Club, the Tollygunge Golf Club and the Madras Gymkhana (which is no longer a golf course). I have been involved with five of those six clubs. Each club has a different climate conditions, different fungal infections and diseases which come on the golf course, different soil profile, and I acclimated myself to all of them. Before working at the Tollygunge Club, I worked at the Delhi Golf Club and the Bombay Presidency Golf Club.

“In India, there is no course which qualifies you as a turf manager. I learned on the job and worked on my knowledge of forestry and horticulture. I studied pathogens, entomology, physiology of grass; everything which I felt was relevant. Knowing is half the battle. You need a lot of skilled manpower to do the basic minimum maintenance.”

More of an art, than a science

The kind of material used to feed the greens nutrients is quite important. Resourcefully, Gaurav has come up with his own mix.

“This club has some unique variables. There are four kitchens here, which cater to the club and there’s a stable where horses are reared. I use the waste products from both, combined with the dry leaves of the course to prepare compost. A similar model was applied at ITC Sonar, and we have implemented it here. We use it for the horticultural work and landscaping. We don’t use any chemical fertilizer; the club generates its own compost.

“There are a lot of variables which come into play. The grass needs to be mowed, watered and assured of sunlight for preferably six hours every day. The grass affects the game in so many ways. Like a sunflower which follows the sun, the grass does so too. Some areas on the course are shaded by trees so they don’t get as much sunlight as the others.

“Earlier, courses would be watered manually. At the Tolly club we have installed an automatic irrigation system, designed by Rainbird. Tolly is the first club in India to use an Integrated Controlled Module system. You just press a few buttons and the sprinklers pop out of the ground. I regularly interface with experts in USA and Australia about equipment.”

Versatility

“Maintaining a golf course is more of an art than a science. You need to rely on your instinct instead of expecting to get precise numbers, which help you make a decision. You need to read the greens and act accordingly. If a section of the greens is shady, it needs less water. If it experiences sunlight for long periods of the day, it needs more water.

“There are 18 holes and all have their own distinct characteristics. The course needs to be designed and maintained according to the profile of the golfers who frequent the links.”

Natural preserve

The Tolly Golf Club is rich with a variety of flora. “The head of pathology, a taxonomist from the Forest Research Institute of Dehradun, came to asses our flora. In collaboration with the FRI, we identified 140 different species in the 108 acre area.” said Gaurav.

Having that much variety in such a small space is indeed quite astonishing.

Keeping animals in check

“A golf course is huge. Flora and fauna abound. There are also jackals here, something rare in a metro city. Because of wildlife preservation laws you need to be careful about how you deal with them. There are also storks on the course. It’s not just plants that we have to take care off. Tolly club is one of the few courses in India which allows domestic animals.”

Animals keeping grass in check

Bleating about the bush a bit, at Settler’s Golf Club in Canada there are two goats named ‘Whipper and Snipper.’ They help maintain the course by chewing the grass. Has Gaurav ever used animals too?

“Not intentionally, but that reminds me of an instance at the Delhi Golf Course. We were keeping some red grass, Iresene grass which is used as a hedge in the landscaping area, and one morning I went to find that it had been neatly trimmed. I gathered the workers and gave them a tongue lashing for disturbing the grass. The next day, once again the grass was trimmed neatly. Two days in a row the grass was cut with nobody owning up. I ordered the guards to keep an eye on that section, and the next morning they reported that the grass was cut by Sambar deer (Cervus Unicolor). That gave us all a good laugh! We made sure to keep them away from the grass from then on.”

Making the sport accessible

“We really want to shatter the stereotype that golf is a sport for the upper class. The Tolly club in its effort to promote junior golf and produce champions in the city has a junior program where deserving juniors of the city are given an opportunity to come and hone their skills. Getting the next generation involved in the game is one of our priorities.

“To be where I am you need to have a passion for the sport. The doors will open for you if you put in the work. Someday I hope to write a book about maintaining golf courses in tropical climate of India. There are books released by the USGA (United States Golf Association) but that is about the temperate climate. While that helps, it doesn’t apply in India. I’d like to see specialized teaching about turf management in India soon.”

“We got a stop, and got the ball to Nate. Then we got a stop, and got the ball to Nate. Then we got a stop, and got the ball to Nate.”- said Bulls’ forward Carlos Boozer on being asked how the Bulls came back to win Game 4 143-134 in triple overtime after being down by 14 in the fourth quarter.

Nate Robinson has been exceptional for the Bulls. He has stepped up big time and provided some much needed offense for them. To me, Nate is the idol for all the sub six foot population, which is most of the Indian population. He shows us what is possible, regardless of size. He keeps the fire burning regardless of how his coach tries to temper it.

“Everybody knows coach is a drill sergeant, but he has a heart somewhere in there. I know he does. He smiles every blue moon and it’s good to see. I tease coach a lot. It seems every shot I take, he is mad. But I always feel like I’m on fire.”- said Nate Robinson.

So much so that Nate, all five foot nine inches of him, almost bested Michal Jordan’s record of most points in the fourth in a playoff game for the Bulls. Nate had 23 points in the fourth, one point shy of the franchise record set by Jordan. Now that’s rarefied company.

The Chicago Bulls have the luxury of having a defensive mastermind at the helm in Tom Thibodeau. And his penchant for tight defense flows into his regimented offense. He craves order and preaches adherence to a planned system which has been proven to yield dividends. And yet there is an anomaly in his well oiled machine. One which he accepts as the yin to his yang. Picture the complacent surface of the ocean. That’s how deep the system of Thibodeau is. It is pretty comprehensive in itself. Now add to it a deranged catfish which keeps plopping in and out at unexpected places. It is a difficult enough to keep afloat in the deep waters. Add to it the unpredictable element of the threat of the catfish and all your plans fall in disarray.

“I tell people all the time that opposites attract. Coach is a drill sergeant type and I’m more less a free spirit who just goes with the wind. He likes to control everything. He lets me be me, but at the same time he lets me know if I stray off too far and what I need to know to get better.”- said Nate Robinson.

“You got to take the whole package. The good outweighs the bad.”- said Tom Thibodeau.

Today vs the Nets, Nate had 34 points on 14 of 23 shooting with 4 assists before fouling out in the second overtime. After playing 28 minutes and 32 seconds. He was 11-16 in the fourth and over the span of 1:42 he went on a 12-0 run which cut a 14 point Nets led to 2. Bulls were down 109-95 with 3 minutes left and Nate decided to explode.

“Like the old school game, ‘NBA Jam,’ you make a couple and the rim’s on fire and when you shoot the ball, the ball’s on fire. I feel like that at times. Well, all the time. When I’m in the game, I play with a lot of confidence and you kind of got to lie to yourself that you can’t miss.”- said Nate.

There is a word which aptly applies to these guys. Zero conscience killers. Guys like Nate, J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford have ice cold blood running through their veins and they are not shy about launching up shots. They believe that every thing they throw up is going in.

“It was big shot after big shot, but that’s what he does,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what makes him so valuable. It doesn’t take him much to get going and when he gets going, he can go on a big run.”

The Nets’ coach was also flattering in his praise for Nate- “Nate’s one of those guys who can change a game. Whether you want to call him an X-factor or whatever, there’s nights when he gets it going that he’s very, very difficult to defend.”

A major reason the Bulls have been able to stay alive vs the Nets is the excellent defensive job Kirk Hinrich is doing on Deron Williams. But what they miss the most about the absence of Rose is the steady offense he could be counted on to provide. Now Nate Robinson filled in the shoes of Rose, if only for a day. Maybe if he keeps trying it on game after game, he can make it a habit.

“You know, it’s kind of cool because coach kind of asks us what we want to run when we’re hot, what plays. I told him not to call a play for me, just let the ball find me and we just run the regular offense we’d been running and it worked.”- said Nate.

If the Bulls are to go deep into this postseason, they will have to rely on Nate on having some more of these nights.

Vertical leap is an essential skill in basketball. It allows you to get more air under your jumper, snag rebounds, contest shots, and be a pogo stick on the court. Here’s a look at the top 20 highest leapers in the NBA according to NBA 2K13. The rankings were seen when the players were sorted in the fantasy draft pool-

For more info about NBA 2K13, check this this out.